


Safe Haven

by Shire55



Category: P/C - Fandom, P/C h/c, Picard/Crusher, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Adult Content, Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-19
Updated: 2011-12-19
Packaged: 2017-10-27 13:27:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/296348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shire55/pseuds/Shire55





	Safe Haven

Doctor Beverly Crusher hummed gently to herself as she  
strode purposefully through the corridors of the Starship Enterprise.  
She was undoubtedly happy and it showed in the slight smile on  
her beautiful features, the light in her blue eyes and the innate  
inner glow, putting a spring in her step and a sway in her hips.  
Clasped in her hands was a very special gift. She had searched  
long and far, eventually parting with some genuine latinum to  
secure its purchase. It was an integral part of her plan, soon  
to be sprung on the unsuspecting recipient. That it was none other  
than Jean-Luc Picard, Captain of the magnificent ship in which  
she travelled was no coincidence. She and the Captain shared a  
history of many years, their friendship growing, deepening, until  
a month ago when, quite unexpectedly, they became intimate.  
It had been a normal meeting over breakfast, something they  
had both enjoyed for a long time. A chance to catch up on ship's  
gossip, discuss coming missions....an opportunity to start the  
day with a smile. Beverly had arrived a little earlier than usual  
and, not finding Jean-Luc in the living area, ventured into his  
bedroom. He stood in the bathroom, freshly showered, wearing nothing  
but a white towel around his waist. Beverly was enraptured watching  
the play of muscles on his lean frame as he shaved himself. Unable  
to make a sound, she stood there watching, the heat growing within  
her.  
As he finished shaving, Jean-Luc caught Beverly's reflection  
in the mirror and turned slowly to face her. They stood like that  
for several slow seconds, each looking deeply into the eyes of  
the other. Unable to stop them, and not wanting to, Beverly's  
feet carried her the short distance to stand in front of Jean-Luc.  
Reaching up, she traced a line from his eyebrow to his jaw then  
gently drew her fingers across his lips. In response, Jean-Luc  
leaned his head into her hand and sighed deeply. Taking her in  
his arms, Jean-Luc delicately brushed his lips over hers, teasing  
and testing and eventually kissing her with all the love, tenderness  
and passion he had felt for this woman for so long. In the short  
distance between the bathroom and the bedroom their clothing was  
shed and they made love as Jean-Luc had always dreamed they would,  
with nothing but the stars as mute witnesses.  
What had finally triggered this wonderful change in their relationship  
was a mystery to both of them, but ultimately their joy surpassed  
all else and they gave up trying to analyse it. The change in  
them both was evident to all who knew them. Gossip about them  
became the staple diet of all ranks; the one thing not questioned  
was the "rightness" of the relationship....that and  
why it took so long.  
Having arrived at the Captain's quarters Beverly momentarily  
paused, and as the doors parted, entered.  
"Hello Mon Chere. Where have you been? The croissants are  
getting cold." A basket of the delicious pastries wafted  
their aroma in the cabin.  
"You missed me? How sweet. Actually it's all your fault.  
I had notification of a parcel to pick up." Jean-Luc noticed  
one of Beverly's hands was behind her back.  
"A parcel? What has that to do with me?" Beverly found  
his perplexed look very endearing. Taking her hand from behind  
her back, she presented him with her surprise.  
"It's for you. Here."  
Giving him a gentle kiss, she placed the parcel in his hands.  
Eyebrows raised and with a boyish grin on his face, he opened  
the present.  
"Oh Beverly, a book, an authentic book."  
Sighing with pleasure, he turned the book over in his large hands,  
gingerly stroking the cover. Beverly suppressed a giggle when  
the perplexed look crept back onto his face, but laughed out loud  
when he faced her with such confusion.  
"Sailing. Everyone Can Do It." Beverly....I don't understand.  
Please don't misunderstand me, I'm very happy to receive such  
a rare gift, a book like this would have been very difficult to  
find, but the topic.....I'm the Captain of the Federation flagship.  
Do you think my skills need upgrading?"  
Watching Beverly closely, Jean-Luc was rewarded with the glint  
of mischief in her eyes.  
"Just what, exactly, are you up to?"  
"Well, we have two weeks leave coming up soon."  
"Yes...."  
"I've been doing some research and I think I've come up with  
the perfect place to go."  
Jean-Luc squinted his eyes and frowned.  
"And that is...."  
"Gerallum."  
"Gerallum? I'm not familiar with that name. And the book?"  
"You read it and learn how to sail a boat."  
"I gathered that, but Beverly, I could learn to sail on the  
holodeck much easier than...."  
Beverly placed her hands on her hips and lifted her chin.  
"That would be cheating Jean-Luc!"  
"Cheating. I see. It would be cheating to learn to sail on  
the holodeck, but not if I learn from a book?"  
"Yes."  
Jean-Luc sighed.  
"Let's get back to....Geranium?"  
"Gerallum."  
"Ah yes, Gerallum. What, precisely, is Gerallum?"  
Beverly's face lit up, her eyes sparkling.  
"It's an out of the way planet in the Deranus Expanse. The  
inhabitants provide recreational facilities for off worlders.  
By all accounts it's a beautiful planet Jean-Luc. It's covered  
mostly by water with the land masses being groups of extensive  
archipelagos, many of them uninhabited. They specialise in boating  
holidays. They have craft from all the Federation worlds and,  
about five years ago, built a fleet of Earth-type cruising yachts,  
styled on the popular craft of the late nineteen hundreds."  
"I see. But why do I have to learn from the book?"  
"The San, the inhabitants of Gerallum, believe that people  
learn more about themselves and their loved ones, if they learn  
to sail together with as little knowledge as possible. The information  
package stated that reading an instructional text would be sufficient  
to start with. I chose to give you a book from that era both as  
a gift and, well, to get you into the mood."  
At that, Jean-Luc's eyebrows rose.  
"I don't recall needing help to get in the "mood."  
Beverly didn't miss the lustful look sent in her direction.  
"Now you just stop that! We're both on duty in ten minutes."  
"Ten minutes? If we cut a few corners, I think we could manage  
that."  
"Jean-Luc you are positively wicked! Where's that stoic,  
reserved, icily cool Captain I fell in love with?"  
"Out to lunch!"  
Jean-Luc quietly closed the distance between them until they were  
nose to nose.  
Beverly could feel his hot breath on her lips.  
"I never dreamed you could be so passionate....or so damned  
attractive....tempting...."  
Beverly didn't get to finish her sentence, as Jean-Luc lifted  
her in his arms and carried her into his bedroom. Despite his  
assurances, they were both late for duty.

 

 

Striding from the turbolift, clutching the book, Picard took  
his customary place in the command chair, recently vacated by  
his First Officer, Will Riker. Although they had been aboard for  
over a year, the new ship still caught Picard unawares. He cast  
his eyes over the bridge, noting how smoothly the crew went about  
their duties. The pain of losing the Enterprise D had passed but  
Jean-Luc knew it would take some time before this new vessel would  
be imprinted in his mind as his old ship had been.  
"Report Number One."  
"All is well Sir. No pressing ship's business. We're running  
straight and true for the Embo colony at warp five. Doctor Selar  
has designed the new facility and barring any complications, we  
should have it built in approximately eighteen days. We received  
a communication burst about an hour ago by sub space. Apparently  
their equipment is a little dated and can't punch through a signal  
strong enough for sustained contact. We expect to have them on  
visual in two days. The Prime Minister said the tremors were subsiding  
and they were holding their own with injuries and infection. The  
seismic equipment is a problem, apparently the institute was damaged  
in the initial tremor, but they think they can make do. Our ETA  
is five days and that should give us plenty of time to complete  
the modifications to the equivac modules."  
"Thank you Number One. As usual you have everything under  
control. You have the bridge, I'll be in my ready room."  
"Doing a little reading Sir?"  
"Hmmmm, indeed."  
As the doors to the ready room closed, Will caught a wry smile  
from Counsellor Deanna Troi. The telepathic bond they had developed  
so long ago was still active to a certain extent and Will felt  
the brush of Deanna's mind on his. Leaning in and he said in sotto  
voice,  
"You look like the cat that swallowed the cream."  
"That's not far off Will", she replied, also in a quiet  
voice. "It's so wonderful to feel such joy and contentment  
coming form the both of them. The Captain is by nature a very  
private person, and over the past few years I've felt a growing  
loneliness in him. It's gone Will. He's head over heels in love  
and for probably the first time, he is willing to show it. I know  
Beverly feels the same way and feeling these emotions from two  
such dear friends brings a palpable joy for me....although I'm  
not getting a lot of sleep."  
"Not enough sleep? Why?"  
"Will, I feel their emotions. Think about it."  
A deep frown creased Riker's face. Suddenly he blushed, the redness  
creeping up from his neck to bloom fully on his face.  
"Oh! Yes, well....ummm that would be a little disconcerting."  
An impish giggle was his only reply.  
"Have you found out anything about their leave?  
"All Beverly would tell me was they were going sailing on  
Gerallum."  
"Sailing? Gerallum? I didn't expect that"  
"What did you expect Will?"  
With a shrug of his broad shoulders Will replied,  
"Oh I don't know really. The Captain so rarely takes leave.  
I just assumed he would go to an archaeological dig somewhere....maybe  
Anthos Prime."  
"With Beverly? You've got to be joking. Can you imagine Beverly  
sitting alone on a rock in some desolate area, fending off insects  
and dust, while the Captain grubs around in the dirt? I don't  
think so."  
"So what are they going to do? Sailing you said....as in  
a boat with sails?"  
"Hmmhmm. Beverly insists they learn together on the yacht.  
She gave him an ancient book about it. It's from the same era  
as the boats they will sail."  
"What is it with you women? He already Captains the Enterprise....what  
more can she want. And another thing, we sail....sort of....at  
least that's what the passage through space is called. I will  
never understand women."  
"I think you do pretty well my love, but perhaps it would  
be easier for you to not question that which you don't understand."  
"I'm deeply offended....I think...."  
Sharing a companionable chuckle, the officers settled into their  
shift.

 

Jean-Luc had made himself comfortable on his sofa, a glass  
of Earl Grey tea close by and the old book in his hands.  
*Good Lord. Tacking, clews, booms, fife rails.....surely it can't  
be that complicated? All we have to do is pilot the craft from  
island to island.*  
Becoming somewhat bored he closed  
the book, reasoning that it would all become evident at the appropriate  
time. He got up and stretched, grinning in a very Gallic way when  
he registered his sore muscles. Sighing contentedly, he rounded  
his desk and sat down.  
"Computer access all recent information on Gerallum and display  
on the ready room monitor."  
It was only with a Herculean effort that he managed to read the  
text and not think about Beverly. The hours they were apart were  
tortuous for him, the times they shared discussing ship's business  
worse as he couldn't touch her.  
He was very tempted to go to sickbay just to see her, but he knew  
she had a job to do as did he, so he quelled his desire and concentrated  
once again on the work at hand. The hours crept by and eventually  
his shift came to an end. After handing over to the new shift  
and bidding Will and Deanna goodnight, he made his way to his  
cabin with all the haste he could justifiably make. It was very  
difficult not to run but he managed and soon found himself in  
his quarters. Jean-Luc knew that Beverly's shift ended an hour  
after his, so he took the opportunity to shower and shave. He  
then dressed in a silky emerald shirt, loose and open in a vee  
exposing his chest and a pair of black trousers of a soft Larzin  
material, finishing off his attire with a pair of soft leather  
shoes.  
He cast a critical look in the mirror and satisfied, left his  
quarters. Anyone seeing him would know he was on a mission.  


 

Beverly was tired but happy. Sickbay had been relatively  
quiet and she had finally caught up on the outstanding files she  
had been neglecting. After handing over to the "night"  
staff, she exited sickbay and walked the short distance to her  
cabin. She was totally unprepared for what she found. Everywhere  
she looked there were vases of beautiful flowers from all parts  
of the galaxy, their delicate fragrances tantalising her senses.  
In the middle of the room a table had been set with fine china  
and silver cutlery. Snow white linen made up the tablecloth and  
napkins, the embossed design echoed on the seats. In the subdued,  
soft light the crystalware gave off prisms of breathtaking light.  
She was delighted and slowly pirouetted taking it all in.  
He spoke softly, his deep baritone sending a shiver through her  
body.  
"Why don't you go and have a shower and put on something  
comfortable while I call up our dinner."  
With a nod, Beverly left the room. In truth at that moment in  
time she was speechless. Discarding the uniform and slipping into  
the bathroom, she enjoyed a shower, the hot water relaxing and  
soothing her. With a towel twisted up encasing her wet hair she  
moved into her bedroom and selected a pair of black leggings,  
a short royal blue skirt and a loose fitting white pullover.  
By now, Beverly could smell some very enticing food and she snickered  
when her stomach rumbled. Taking a brush, she took the towel from  
her hair and saunted into the living area where she casually sat  
and brushed the damp auburn tresses. Every now and then she would  
gently touch the beautiful flowers that were nearby.  
She felt Jean-Luc approach and looked up to see him standing in  
front of her.  
"Dinner is served."  
Offering his arm, he escorted her to the table and seated first  
Beverly, then himself.  
There followed a sumptuous meal accompanied by some exquisite  
wines from the Picard estate and an increasing level of sexual  
tension. Not wishing to be rushed, Jean-Luc rose from his seat  
and stood next to Beverly.  
"Computer, dance selection, Picard theta two eight."  
As he offered his hand Beverly rose gracefully and melted into  
Jean-Luc's strong arms. At first their movements were restrained  
and a little tense but soon relaxation came and their bodies seamed  
together and they moved as one.  
Neither were aware the music had stopped. They continued to sway  
gently together, Jean-Luc softly nuzzling Beverly's neck, his  
hands gently rubbing up and down her back. Jean-Luc's arousal  
was evident, yet still he held her and swayed in time to the nonexistent  
music.  
"Jean-Luc I want you to make love to me."  
"I intend to, I just want to hold you a little longer Beverly."  
Looking into her eyes he said softly,  
"You are exquisite. You overwhelm me and I am lost in you.  
I love you with a depth and certainty I've never experienced before."  
They danced together in the silent cabin, two people who had become  
one and after a while retired to Beverly's bedroom and made love  
, falling to sleep entwined together, still as one.  


 

"Incoming message from the Gerallum shuttle Sir."  
Standing and tugging down his uniform, Picard faced forward.  
"Thank you Number One. On screen."  
"Greetings Captain. I am Taran Pli, the escort for your journey.  
I will be alongside in one point three Standard hours. I look  
forward to meeting you, it is an honour to have the esteemed Captain  
of the Enterprise as our guest."  
"Ah...thank you Mr. Pli. We will be ready to beam over when  
you arrive. Picard out."  
The grinning face of Taran Pli abruptly disappeared leaving a  
somewhat embarrassed Picard to endure the wide grin of his First  
Officer. Although nothing was said, the humour was easily felt.  
It was not often Jean-Luc Picard was the butt of anybody's derision,  
especially on the bridge in full view if his crew.  
"Picard to Doctor Crusher."  
"Crusher here, Captain."  
"Our transport is due in about an hour. Are you finished  
packing?"  
"Just about."  
"Very well. I will meet you in transporter room three then  
in say....an hour?"  
"Acknowledged. Crusher out."  
"I have a few things to clear up Number One. Meet us in the  
transporter room. You have the bridge."  
"Aye Sir."

 

Sometime later a slightly irritated Picard was waiting in  
the transporter room, trying to resist the urge to pace. At the  
opening of the doors, he was treated to what could easily have  
been a small circus. Will entered first carrying two large hold-alls,  
followed by a red faced Beverly, a personal bag slung over one  
shoulder, another bag secured on her arm and a PADD in her free  
hand. Both officers were laughing uproariously and were stunned  
to see the stern face of their commanding officer so obviously  
affronted. Clearing their throats, they dropped their luggage  
and took on a more appropriate demeanour.  
"Beverly we are only going for two weeks. What on earth have  
you brought all that luggage for?"  
Beverly stole a sideways glance at Will, who wisely lowered his  
head and ignored her. He was in enough trouble.  
"Well, you know me Jean-Luc. Be prepared, that's my motto.  
Besides, a girl has to have all she needs to be comfortable you  
know. I don't intend to "rough it."  
"So it would seem. Perhaps you could enlighten me as to why  
you are twenty minutes late then? Our transport has been hailing  
every five minutes despite my explanations."  
"Oh Jean-Luc, stop being a bear. So I stopped to say goodbye  
to a few friends. Where's the harm..."  
One look at the dour face of her Captain was enough to silence  
Beverly. Lowering her head she uttered a small "My apologies  
Captain" and left her compatriot to bear the brunt of his  
Captain's displeasure.  
"The ship is yours until my return. Try and make your mission  
more successful than you were at getting the Doctor here on time."  
Somewhat shocked at the harsh words, Will looked at his Captain  
and just caught the ghost of a smile. His suspicions were confirmed  
when Picard surreptitiously winked as he stepped up onto the transporter  
pad. With the chastened Beverly beside him the two lovers and  
their luggage shimmered and disappeared.

 

 

Once again on the bridge and after seeing the safe departure  
of the shuttle, Will settled into the command chair.  
"Mr. Data, set course for the Embo Colony and engage at warp  
five. Mr. Tarc relay a sub space message to Prime Minister Phillips  
and put it through to the ready room. How long until we are in  
visual communication range?"  
"A little over four hours Sir."  
"Actually it's four point eight si..."  
"Thank you Mr. Data."

 

Will had been seated for only a few minutes when the scratchy  
link was made to the colony.  
"Prime Minister, thank you for speaking to me."  
"No problems Commander. What can I do for you."  
"I just wanted you to know that Captain Picard and Doctor  
Crusher have left and we are on route to you and should reach  
you in two days. How is everything going?"  
"Actually, quite well. I know there was some concern about  
Beverly going on leave; I'll miss seeing her....we knew each other  
from our Academy days. But really, everything is settling down.  
The aftershocks have passed and we're making do with what we have.  
Your arrival should see everything put to rights. I must say,  
we are looking forward to seeing you. It was very hard at first.  
I believe we're a stronger unit now. Nothing like a little adversity  
to bring people together."  
"Indeed Prime minister. If anything happens call. We can  
exceed warp five in emergencies. Keep in touch. Riker out."

 

 

 

 

Having materialised on the shuttle, Jean-Luc and Beverly were  
confronted by the obsequious Taran Pli.  
"Welcome, welcome esteemed guests! Oh what a great honour  
it is, how fortunate are we to have the famou..."  
"Thank you Mr. Pli. I..."  
"Please, please, call me Taran, I would be soooo delighted!"  
"Very well, Taran. As I was saying, whilst on leave I am  
simply Mr. Picard, my companion is Doctor Crusher. How long till  
we reach Gerallum?"  
"Oh just a few short hours. Perhaps you could regale me with  
tales of your adventures. I pulled quite a few ropes....is that  
the term?....to get this assignment you know. It's not how you  
know...." As he said this he tapped his ear. I'm fully up  
to date with Earth sayings and gestures. I take quite a chuff  
about it. Now tell me Captain....sorry...MR. Picard. Cough, cough,  
poke, poke eh?....Just how many Romulans have you killed?"  
Jean-Luc lowered his head and sighed, wondering how long it would  
be till he strangled the redoubtable Taran Pli.  
"Actually Taran, The Captain, sorry, Mr. Picard is on stress  
leave. As his personal physician I must ensure he is kept calm  
at all times. I'm afraid his anecdotes would be far too stressful  
for him to recount. I would like him to just sit quietly, perhaps  
reading something calming, for the duration of the trip."  
Moving closer to Pli she whispered....  
"It's his nerves you know....he's ready to crack. Could become  
murderous at any time. Best leave him to me. I can sedate him  
if necessary."  
All this went unheard by Picard, who was taken aback to see a  
look of sheer terror cross the pliant features of Taran Pli.  
"Come now Cap...Mr. Picard. We'll just sit down and read  
a nice book and let Mr. Pli drive the shuttle. We won't cause  
any trouble now, will we?"  
Jean-Luc leaned close.  
"What the devil are you up to? What did you say to him?"  
Looking over to the cockpit and seeing Pli engrossed in his piloting,  
Beverly leaned in and kissed Jean-Luc quickly.  
"Trust me sweetheart. Be Prepared, remember? Oh by the way,  
can you froth at the mouth?"  
"What?"  
"Never Mind."  
A very perplexed Picard finally settled to read the sailing book,  
but was disconcerted at the continual stares and tut-tutting from  
Pli. It was with great relief when they landed on Gerallum and  
were handed over to the hotel manager.  
They were shown a very nice suite of rooms and a rather, (thankfully  
as far as Jean-Luc was concerned), subdued manager informed them  
that they could dine in their rooms or attend dinner in the lounge,  
pointing out that formal attire was expected.  
"We like to keep a certain standard. We found that people  
of all species appreciate making the effort. It adds to the ambience.  
Dinner is served at eight sharp."  
"Thank you, that sounds delightful."  
The manager left and Beverly came up behind Jean-Luc and wound  
her arms about him.  
"Wanna test the mattress?"  
As she murmured this she nibbled on his ear.  
"If you continue doing that I will lose all semblance of  
control and ravish you, possibly repeatedly."  
"Promises, promises.... Be Prepared, remember?"  
"You know, you would look very captivating in a scout uniform."  
"A what?"  
"Never mind....come here."

 

Some time later the two sated lovers were idly lying on their  
bed debating the merits of dressing for dinner.  
"I'm just not convinced of the necessity of formal attire  
purely for eating purposes. And we'll have to shower and I'll  
have to shave, whereas on the other hand we could simply lie here  
and have dinner brought to us."  
"Jean-Luc! Where's your romantic side? There's something  
very sensual about formal dining. All that pretence, manners,  
all at arm's length...no touching....heated looks. And besides,  
you look stunning in a tux. Of course there's always afterwards,  
all that tension has to have a release."  
That sold him.  
"Race you to the shower!"  
They made quite an entrance. Conversation stopped and heads turned  
to watch the passage of the stunning red head and her dashing,  
elegant escort.  
Dinner was grand, the dishes cooked superbly and presented beautifully.  
Jean-Luc found the wines surprisingly good and coupled with an  
excellent waiter, proved an outstanding evening.  
Jean-Luc looked longingly into Beverly's eyes and she knew exactly  
what he wanted. Jean-Luc's libido had been a very pleasant surprise  
to Beverly, it was yet another aspect of himself he hid so well.  
She wasn't going to succumb so easily though and leaned over the  
table and said seductively,  
"I've been wined and dined. Now I would like to dance."  
Jean-Luc sat up straight and placed the flat of his palms on the  
table.  
"As you wish, m'Lady."  
Rising gracefully, he took Beverly's hand in his and led her to  
the dance floor. Taking her in his arms they flowed with the music  
around the floor. It wasn't music Picard was familiar with, but  
an alien composition, intriguing and lulling at the same time.  
As they had done on the Enterprise, they danced alone, oblivious  
to all around them. It took a gentle cough from the maitre'd for  
them to realise the dining room was closing. They walked hand  
in hand back to their room and took advantage of the mild evening  
by visiting the balcony of their suite. There, beneath the night  
sky, they made use of the lounge, Beverly being proved quite correct  
about the release of tension. Some time later they moved to the  
large bed and slept peacefully in each other's arms.

 

"Commander, we have achieved orbit around the Embo colony."  
"Thank you Mr. Data. Tell me, does this planet have a name?"  
Data tilted his head in a familliar way, forming his reply.  
"It has a designated number Sir and at present there is a  
competition ongoing in the colony to find a name. There is evidence  
of inhabitation dating back many millennia, however the inhabitants  
were extremely primitive and, as far as we know, did not name  
the planet."  
"What happened to them?"  
"Unknown Sir."  
"Well, it will remain a mystery. We're not here on an archaeological  
dig. Mr. Data is Prime Minister Phillips available?"  
"Yes Sir. Putting her through now. On screen."  
"Commander! Good to see you."  
Riker was somewhat taken aback. The woman who faced him had a  
subtle charisma that crossed the distance between them, not the  
least dulled by the electronic medium. A handsome woman of indeterminable  
age, she was obviously both intelligent and charming. Will was  
immediately attracted and Deanna felt the change in him instantly.  
"Have a good trip?"  
"Yes thank you Prime Minister. With your permission, my crew  
will begin beaming down the prefabricated buildings and supplies.  
My Chief Engineer, Geordie LaForge, will be bringing a team and  
equipment to re-establish your seismic readers and Acting Chief  
Medical Officer Dr. Selar will be arriving with medical supplies,  
portable operating suites and equivacs. Food will be supplied  
at stations provided, clothing and bedding likewise. Water purification  
is a priority and Commander LaForge will make it his next job  
after the seismic equipment. The rest we will prioritise as we  
find it. Is there anything you would like to add?"  
"Not really Commander. You seem to have everything under  
control. We did have some trouble with sewerage but we managed....  
a stopgap arrangement, but it will do until your engineers can  
get to it. Commander, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks  
for your help. One doesn't realise how far away one is until something  
like this happens. Your help is invaluable."  
Riker smiled and lowered his head.  
"Prime Minister, if it's not too presumptuous of me, would  
you like to have dinner on board the Enterprise?"  
For a moment Will thought he'd overstepped the mark. Painful seconds  
passed as Will almost squirmed under her intense gaze.  
The Prime Minister maintained a steady gaze, then seemed to come  
to a decision.  
"I would be delighted, thank you. What time?"  
Letting out a breath he was unaware he was holding, Will said,  
"Twenty hundred hours, if that's not inconvenient."  
"Not at all. I'm looking forward to it. Until then....Embo  
out."  
Will stood staring at the blank screen. Deanna took the opportunity  
to study him.  
"Strong woman...."  
"Captivating."  
What followed was a shining example of well oiled machinery in  
action. With practised ease teams of specialists and tonnes of  
equipment were beamed down to the stricken planet. A triage team  
designated and flagged the most serious medical cases to be treated  
on the Enterprise, the remainder housed and treated in the prefabricated  
hospitals. Such was the professionalism of the crew, they required  
little guidance. Will found himself almost redundant, answering  
only questions of delegation. He mused how Captain Picard overcame  
the tension. Everything was done by remote, Will missed the hands  
on approach. Such was the role of the Captain in situations like  
this.  
Regardless of his misgivings, he still found things to occupy  
himself and it was with a modicum of surprise when he heard Deanna  
say...  
"You'd better organise dinner and get changed."  
Will's head snapped up.  
"Hell's Bells! I'd forgotten all about it. Thanks Deanna."  
"You'll remember soon enough."  
Will didn't hear the rejoinder, he was already at the turbolift  
door.  
"You have the bridge..." Then he was gone.

 

With more haste than he was happy with, a dinner was prepared  
in the aft observation room. Almost at the run, Will made it to  
the transporter room just as the operator signalled that the Prime  
Minister was ready to beam up. With a determined effort, Will  
got control of his panting and was composed when the dignitary  
materialised on the pad.  
In person she was even more commanding and Riker was drawn by  
her personal manna.  
"Prime Minister, welcome aboard the Enterprise."  
"Thank you Commander."  
"If you will follow me I will take you to the dinner."  
The pace was set by the Prime Minister, she was happy to amble  
along, taking in all she saw and asking insightful, intelligent  
questions.  
Eventually, she asked the obvious.  
"What a magnificent ship Commander! It's vast. How is it  
you don't get lost?"  
Will chuckled softly.  
"You get used to it. I've been around starships long enough  
to see them in my sleep. Here we are. After you, Prime Minister."  
With a small inclination of his head, Riker ushered his guest  
into the observation lounge.  
Prime Minister Phillips entered and was delighted with what she  
saw.  
"Oh Commander....it's breathtaking."  
"I never tire of it. Please Prime Minister, call me Will."  
"In that case, when we're alone, you must call me Julie."  
"A beautiful appellation, like it's owner."  
A shrewd look passed her face.  
"How kind of you. Do you say that to all you female companions?"  
"Only the beautiful ones."  
At that they both laughed, the formality of the situation relaxing  
considerably. Each took a plate and helped themselves to the many  
and varied dishes. After dinner, Will took his guest for a stroll  
through the arboretum, again impressing the dignitary.  
All too soon, the evening drew to a close making Will wistfully  
wish that she would suddenly decide to stay the night....with  
him.  
"I must be getting back now Will. It was a lovely evening,  
as close to perfect as you can get. They stood in the transporter  
room, both unwilling to end the moment.  
"Will you come planetside and let me repay you in kind? I  
used to be an adequate cook in my day."  
'It would be my pleasure."  
"Till then....goodnight Will."  
"Goodnight Julie."  
It was some moments until Will left the transporter room. He kept  
seeing her in his mind. Already he was looking forward to the  
coming dinner.

 

 

The next day dawned free of cloud, with a gentle breeze  
blowing, just enough to lift wisps of Beverly's hair in a manner  
Jean-Luc found alluring. Packing their bags and arranging for  
the luggage to be delivered to the marina, the intrepid pair made  
their way to the yacht club. Checking in, a San by the name of  
Arnparr took them through a mind boggling maze of piers and jetties  
eventually stopping at the bow of a sleek yacht.  
"Here she is.....Nimrod. All you need is on board. I suggest  
you unpack and settle in and I will return later to brief you  
on the different functions and supply you with the charts you  
will need."  
Making sure the luggage had indeed been delivered Arnparr left  
them to stow their belongings.  
"Jean-Luc isn't she beautiful? So sleek and powerful looking.  
Nimrod. What a good name. Did you see the sails and ropes? You  
know, I think the outside floor...."  
"Deck."  
"What? Oh yes, deck, is made of wood. Are we going to use  
charts? Real paper charts? How fast do you think she can go. Wouldn't  
it be great if we could swim alongside? Jean-Luc....what's wrong?  
You've not said a word since we came aboard."  
Jean-Luc spread his arms and sighed.  
"I haven't had a chance. I was waiting until you had to breathe.  
May I speak now?"  
The look of contrition was heart melting.  
"I'm sorry Jean-Luc. I did get a little carried away."  
"Yes...well. I think you're quite right in saying this vessel  
is beautiful. Sleek, that's a good word for her. We can look closer  
when we've unpacked. In the meantime we have work to do."  
They were just finishing when Arnparr joined them. Things had  
gone smoothly until Beverly started putting her excess clothing  
in Jean-Luc's hanging space. A rather heated discussion ensued,  
ending when Beverly took Jean-Luc's face in her hands and kissed  
him. As his eyes drifted shut, Beverly knew the argument was over.  
He would no longer resist. Beverly knew it was his kind nature  
behind his acquiescence but the truth was he could deny her nothing.  
If she asked him to capture a comet and put it in a bottle he  
would do everything in his power to make it so. And she loved  
him for it all the more.  
Arnparr was adept at his job. Imparting just enough information  
so as not to confuse his clients, he patiently explained all the  
yacht's features and the function of the equipment.  
"I know it's a lot to take in, but things will become clearer  
when you are actually at sea. There's one thing though. Gerallum  
has no weather grid. Wind changes and high seas can hit without  
warning. Listen for the forecast every day and try to stay in  
sight of the islands at all times. If you run into difficulties  
push the red button on the transponder and help will be dispatched.  
Well that's about it. If you don't want extra provisions, you  
can leave whenever you're ready just hail the tender and you will  
be towed from the marina. Have a great cruise."  
After Arnparr left the couple looked at each other and laughed.  
Regaining their composure, Jean-Luc caught the attention of the  
tender and soon they were being towed free of the yacht basin.  
Wishing to show his expert knowledge, Jean-Luc fitted the foresail  
and the mainsail whilst they were being towed and grinned smugly  
when Beverly showed her surprise. The tender retrieved it's cable  
and, after wishing them a good time, returned to it's berth at  
the yacht club.  
Rubbing his hands together Jean-Luc said imperiously,  
"Let's hoist the sails."  
Beverly gave him a look of ignorance and said,  
"How do we do that?"  
"Ah!....One pulls on the halyards."  
Beverly rolled her eyes.  
"Oh of course. How silly of me to forget. And the halyards  
are where?"  
Casting his eyes about and a close inspection of the mast revealed  
two ropes, that when pulled, brought a response from the appropriate  
sails. With a triumphant grin Jean-Luc hoisted the main sail,  
then the jib.Then he stood there with a perplexed look on his  
face. Approaching the gently flapping sail he searched for the  
clew to which to attach the ropes that controlled the sail.  
"What's wrong?"  
"I'm not sure."  
Beverly tried to get a better look at the head sail.  
"Do you want some help?"  
"No, you keep steering. I'll sort it out."  
Sighing and chewing her lip, Beverly opined,  
"Jean-Luc....that sail doesn't look right. Are you sure you  
don't want some help?"  
Picard cast an irritated look aft.  
"It's fine, everything is fine!"  
Jean-Luc looked at the ropes in his hands then back at the jib.  
Following the line of the sail aloft he suddenly realised what  
was wrong. He had hoisted the sail upside down. Not wishing to  
provoke a sarcastic remark from Beverly about his seamanship,  
he dropped the sail without a word and refused to turn around  
when she called to him.  
"You still don't want any help?"  
"No thank you."  
"Why did you drop the sail?"  
"There was a problem with it."  
"Oh."  
As quickly as he could, Jean-Luc re hung the offending sail and  
had it again aloft in short order. With a snort of satisfaction  
he secured the ropes and made his way to the cockpit and the waiting  
Beverly.  
"Now what Horatio?", Beverly sneered.  
"If I'm not mistaken, we have to position the boat so the  
sails can fill and provide momentum. At the moment the wind is  
dead ahead and yachts such as this cannot sail directly into the  
wind so we have to turn this wheel to make the craft respond."  
Beverly took a firm grip of the wheel and slowly turned it. Sure  
enough the yacht came around and the sails filled quickly.  
"Now keep it there and I will use these winches to pull the  
sails in until they draw properly."  
Suddenly the yacht began to move, gaining speed rapidly. As the  
craft's sails were further trimmed, the boat listed alarmingly  
away from the wind causing Beverly to whoop with delight.  
"This is marvellous Jean-Luc! What do we do now?"  
Jean-Luc slipped below and came out with some charts in his hands.  
"We keep going like this for a while then we change course.  
That island you picked is over here and unfortunately, that's  
where the wind is coming from. We will have to do a "tack"  
or two, it's sort of a zig zag approach."  
"What are those symbols on the map?"  
"These charts are quite comprehensive. Every reef, hazard,  
marker buoy is marked, it's quite astonishing."  
"How long will it take to get there?"  
"Hold on, I'll check the computer."  
A few minutes passed and as she waited Beverly revelled in the  
grace and beauty of the yacht.  
"All right, provided the wind stays constant we should make  
the island just before night fall. There is a safe anchorage marked  
on the chart so in the meantime we can do nothing but enjoy the  
ride. And, by the way, the island is uninhabited."  
That brought a wicked smile to Beverly's face.  
Tilting her head and fixing Jean-Luc with a loving look she said,  
"Happy? Are you glad you came?"  
Taking a deep satisfying breath Jean-Luc returned her gaze.  
"Anywhere with you would be perfect and yes, I'm very happy."  
The lovers shared the occupation of the helm; at one stage Jean-Luc  
went below and emerged with a platter of fruit and cheeses and  
a bottle of wine. Indulging in this leisurely lunch was delightful  
and the friends enjoyed telling each other anecdotes until they  
lapsed into a warm silence.  
Some hours passed when Beverly excitedly pointed at the low profile  
of an island. There had been several "Land Ho's", all  
proving to be the wrong one, but this time she was rewarded with  
a nod from Jean-Luc.  
"That's it. When we get closer we can drop the sails and  
use the engine. There are some nasty reefs and the channel isn't  
very wide."  
"Aye aye Captain, Sir!"  
The wry look Beverly received was priceless and she laughed out  
loud. Jean-Luc was charmed and kissed her. Not to be out done,  
Beverly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.  
As often happens when they got distracted, they forgot about the  
yacht and the world around them. It was the frantic flapping of  
both the main sail and the jib that finally broke the spell.  
"What a racket. What's going on?"  
"I think the boat moved off course when you let go of the  
wheel. Don't worry about it. The sails have to be like this to  
be lowered....I think. While I drop them would you start the engine?"  
"No problem."  
Beverly disappeared below and looked over the engine compartment.  
The starter was obvious, a large red button with a sign saying  
"Starter Button". Upon pushing it she was rewarded with  
the sound of an old fashioned engine coughing to life.  
By the time she came on deck Jean-Luc had dropped the sails and  
was busy stowing them. Shortly thereafter he joined Beverly in  
the cockpit.  
"There should be a gear lever somewhere nearby. We need to  
engage the forward gear in order for the propeller to work."  
"What does it look like?"  
"I'm not exactly sure. When Arnparr was showing me these  
controls I was distracted by that blouse you were wearing. Are  
you aware of what happens when you lean forward?"  
"Uh huh."  
"You did it deliberately?"  
"Uh huh."  
"Wench....hussy..."  
"Did you like it?"  
"Yes."  
"Do you want me to stop doing it?"  
"No."  
"Case dismissed."  
Just when Jean-Luc was about to remonstrate with her, Beverly  
lifted a small hatch revealing the missing engine controls.  
With a look of triumph, she tossed her hair and said,  
"Anything else I can do for you?"  
"Hmmph!"  
With the chart open before him Jean-Luc carefully guided the yacht  
through the markers and eventually dropped anchor in a stunning  
little cove. Out of the breeze it was warm and the scent of flowers  
wafted gently off the land.  
"Shall we go ashore?"  
"Why not. There's an inflatable dinghy under the foredeck.  
I can inflate it in no time."  
"Why don't we swim ashore. It's not far and it would be refreshing."  
"Well....I suppose so. I'll get our togs."  
"No need."  
As she spoke Beverly began to undress and was standing naked before  
he could say anything.  
"You game? I'm off."  
Beverly climbed over the safety rail and executed a perfect dive  
then struck out for the shore.  
Jean-Luc stood motionless watching his beautiful lover swim away  
from him. As if by their own volition, his hands began the task  
of undressing and it wasn't until he entered the water that he  
regained his senses.  
Beverly was waiting for him in the shallows and pulled him down  
to lie with her. Their kisses, at first languid and gentle gradually  
became ardent and urgent. They made passionate love in the small  
waves of the island completely oblivious to everything around  
them.

 

The day had passed quickly for the crew of the Enterprise.  
Their training and experience made for efficient and competent  
application. Will had been busy enough to distract himself from  
the coming dinner, but as the end of the shift approached and  
it became clear that he wouldn't be required to work overtime,  
his mind became firmly fixed on the intriguing Julie Phillips.  
He arrived at her quarters at the appointed time and was surprised  
to find himself somewhat nervous. His discomfort was immediately  
dispelled the second the doors opened.  
She was stunning. Dressed simply in a shimmering floor length  
midnight blue dress, her dark hair rested unadorned on her shoulders.  
"Will! Please, come in."  
"I took the liberty of bringing a bottle of wine, I hope  
it's suitable. Captain Picard's family own a vineyard on Earth  
and they produce some outstanding wines. When he gave me this,  
he said I was not to drink it alone."  
"What a lovely sentiment. I met the Captain once some years  
ago. I was too intimidated to say anything, but he seemed to be  
very engaging."  
"He is indeed. What have you cooked? It smells delicious."  
Julie waved her hands.  
"Oh, you know...a bit of this, a bit of that."  
Trying to peek around the door, Will laughed.  
"You're not going to tell me are you?"  
"Absolutely not. I will tell the medical staff in case you  
don't survive. Other than that, you're flying blind!"  
At that they both laughed and as the mirth passed they gazed at  
each other frankly. Will took Julie's hand in his, kissed it and  
said,  
"You are an exceptionable woman Julie Phillips."  
He was delighted to see her blush, endearing her further in his  
heart.  
Fanning herself with her hands and chuckling gently, she led Will  
to the living area.  
"You, William Riker are a charmer. I will have to keep an  
eye on you."  
Dinner was a resounding success, simple yet delicious. The conversation  
was centred mostly on the rehabilitation of the colony and the  
effects of the tremor. Will was keen to discover more about his  
host and to that end, he asked the occasional question of her  
and was puzzled by her reluctance to talk about herself.  
Together the pair cleared the table and put the dishes in the  
recycler then taking the wine, settled into the comfortable chairs  
in the beautiful atrium at the rear of the quarters.  
"This is so lovely. You're lucky it survived the tremors."  
"I know. There are several fountains and ponds that didn't  
make it and we lost all the ornamental fish, but that's a pittance  
compared with the rest of the colony. We knew there was a certain  
instability with the geology of this planet, yet the benefits  
far outweighed the risks. In any case settlement was put to a  
vote and the result was unanimous. In retrospect we may have been  
somewhat arrogant. Why is it we become so damned wise AFTER the  
event?"  
Will was a little taken aback by the intensity of her statement  
and decided he wanted to know more.  
"Tell me, how long have you been Prime Minister?"  
"Too bloody long! No...I didn't mean that. Oh hell, I honestly  
don't know. I certainly didn't want the job. I envisioned myself  
tucked away at the institute happily doing my research, but when  
nominations were called for the leadership, my name was submitted  
and no matter how many times I refused they kept at me. They seemed  
to see something in me I didn't know existed. So here I am. Somehow  
years have gone by and I'm no closer to finishing my research  
than I was when we arrived."  
"Are you sorry?"  
Julie looked frankly at Will and drew a deep breath.  
"No. I would be lying if I said I'd not felt satisfaction  
in this position, it's just that I don't want to admit that the  
person I was, I'm not anymore."  
"What was she like?"  
"Despite the study, she was quite a tearaway I can assure  
you! In those days I took what I wanted in both hands and to hell  
with the consequences."  
Will smiled whistfully.  
"I rather like the sound of that. And now? Still willing  
to push the envelope?"  
"Depends..."  
"I see. What if I told you I find you very attractive and  
that I would like very much to kiss you?"  
Again Julie looked into Will's eyes and liking what she saw, moved  
closer.  
"Are you sure you can weather the storm?"  
"It's part of my training."  
Their lips met, their eyes closed and they began a voyage of discovery  
as old as time.

 

After their dalliance in the water, Beverly and Jean-Luc made  
their way up the beach, stopping at the skirt of vegetation that  
tumbled down from the escarpment. Peering into the gloom, Beverly  
reached behind her for Jean-Luc's hand.  
"C'mon Jean-Luc. Let's go exploring!"  
"Beverly! I hate to be the one to point this out, but.....we're  
naked."  
Delightedly, Beverly looked Jean-Luc up and down  
"Yes, we are....so?"  
Jean-Luc began to feel decidedly uncomfortable.  
"Well, you know...there maybe thorns...nettles...who knows  
what may assail us."  
Turning to her lover and looking imperiously at him, she muttered,  
"Oh gosh, we wouldn't want to damage anything would we?"  
At the hurt expression she threw back her head and laughed.  
"You know what I'd really like?"  
"I shudder to think."  
That earned a gentle poke in the ribs.  
"A fresh water wash."  
Craning his neck up to see over the foothills, Jean-Luc spotted  
what he was looking for.  
"If we follow the beach around for a bit, we should find  
just what you need."  
Making their way back to the waterline, Jean-Luc took Beverly's  
hand in his and together they walked in the shallows, navigating  
their way through the waterworn rocks, marvelling in the diversity  
of life that proliferated there.  
"Over there, I think that's what we've been looking for."  
Gingerly stepping over the bastion of rocks, The couple were delighted  
to find a fresh water creek flowing briskly into the sea.  
"How did you know?"  
"If you look at the topography of these hills and the escarpment,  
you can make out a crease in the land leading down to the shore.  
Water would have no choice but to follow that course. It was odds  
on there would be a creek."  
Taking his face in her hands Beverly said gently,  
"You are remarkable."  
"Well....thank you. Come on, it probably gets deeper up stream."  
Stepping into the warm water, they strolled, then waded up stream  
finding the temperature growing cooler the deeper the water became.  
Without warning, Jean-Luc, who had been leading, suddenly disappeared  
into a deeper pond. He surfaced without harm, beckoning to Beverly  
to join him.  
"Watch the first step...."  
Laughing, Beverly dived forward, coming up in front of Jean-Luc.  
"I love you...."  
"And I you..."  
They kissed and sank slowly beneath the surface.  
Some time later they were walking back to the point where they  
would swim back to the Nimrod. Reaching that point they stood  
in each other's arms and listened to the evening calls of the  
birds as they prepared to sleep.  
"What an absolutely perfect day, Jean-Luc."  
"Mmmmm."  
"Will you wash the salt off me when we get back?"  
"Mmmmm."  
"I'll wash you too."  
"Mmmmm."  
"Jean-Luc?  
"Mmmmm?"  
"I don't want dinner......I want you."  
"Mmmmm, oh yes...."  
The next morning, the sailors hauled up the anchor and made their  
way under power back to the open sea. They both enjoyed the difference  
in the yacht when the sails were hoisted and the motor silenced.  
Beverly revelled in taking the helm and Jean-Luc was enchanted  
watching the meticulous way she made her course adjustments as  
they sailed. Although neither of them had ever sailed a craft  
of this vintage, it was soon evident that the rudiments were well  
understood.  
"I was having a look at the charts. If we by-pass the next  
island group, we could make our next landing at a cluster of islands,  
the largest of which has a thermal lake, an extensive cave system  
and some archaeological ruins."  
"Didn't Arnparr tell us to keep in sight of the islands?"  
"Well, yes he did, but Beverly these islands are only a few  
miles extra to travel if we sail in a straight line which I think  
we can do with this wind. If we were to stay in sight of land,  
it will take us miles out of our way."  
"And this has nothing to do with the fact there are ruins  
on these islands...."  
The look on Jean-Luc's face was priceless. At that point in time  
the Captain of the Federation Flagship was nowhere to be seen.  
In his place was a boy with his hand caught in the biscuit tin.  
"Ruins. Oh well, I suppose I'm interested in seeing the ruins,  
but what about the thermal lake? Wouldn't you like to bathe in  
a warm fresh water lake?"  
Beverly peered at the Captain, trying to see behind the innocent  
visage that faced her.  
I don't believe you're so altruistic Jean-Luc, but I'll go along  
with it on one condition."  
"And that is....?"  
"We go to the lake first. Not a fleeting visit, not a glimpse-and-run  
tourist look. A real swim, walk, discover kind of look."  
"Done! You have my word."  
Grinning at each other, Jean-Luc made the course corrections that  
would carry them across the open sea for the first time.

 

 

 

Will became aware of his situation as he woke to the sound  
of his insistent communicator. He instantly remembered the previous  
night and instinctively reached for his companion in the bed.  
Feeling around and encountering nothing but the cool sheets, he  
switched his search to find his tunic top to silence the comm  
unit. Finally finding it, he was untangling the badge from the  
material when Julie wandered in with a cup of coffee.  
"Enterprise to Commander Riker!"  
"Riker here."  
"Commander, thank goodness! We were..."  
"What can I do for you Geordie?"  
"Commander we've got the seismic gear up and running and  
I don't like the readings we're getting."  
"What's wrong?"  
"There's pressure building. It's bad and getting rapidly  
worse."  
"Have you sounded warnings?"  
"Aye Sir, but we need you to give the orders to initiate  
evacuations."  
"I'm on my way Geordie. Do what ever you think necessary  
until I get aboard. You have my authorisation to evacuate and  
clear any channels you need."  
"Aye Sir! LaForge out."  
Concerned, Julie sat on the bed.  
"What can I do?"  
"Julie, we need to get everyone out of the buildings. Can  
you do a colony wide broadcast? Warn the most amount of people  
at one time?"  
"Yes! We have an emergency override for all media. I'll get  
on to it immediately."  
As they spoke, they both retrieved their clothes and dressed.  
Taking her in his arms Will said,  
"Take care, my love. I'll contact you as soon as I can."  
Stepping to one side he said,  
"Enterprise! One to beam up."  
Striding onto the bridge, Will was immediately assailed from all  
sides.  
"Whoa! One at a time. Darnell, where are the construction  
crews?"  
"They have withdrawn to the plains to the south of the city,  
away from the fault, Sir."  
"And Kek...the medical personnel?"  
"Sir, Dr. Selar reports they are en route to the same area  
as the construct crews. All seriously wounded have either been  
admitted to the sickbay on board, or treated and released."  
"Deanna, how many teams unaccounted for?"  
"Only one, Commander. Water purification team two hasn't  
reported in. They were working in the subterranean wells in the  
north-west. Communication is weak at best. The rock structure  
is interfering with our signals."  
"Can we transport through it?"  
"No Sir."  
"Commander Data, take an away team and retrieve team two."  
"Aye Sir."  
"And Data....take some pattern enhancers... and keep in touch."  
"Understood Sir."  
"Mr. Kek, keep a close watch on them."  
"Aye Sir."  
Seeing his orders being carried out and sensing his crew needed  
no more instruction, Will settled into the Command Chair and cast  
a worried look at Deanna.  
"This couldn't have come at a worse time. The population  
has only just begun to come to terms with the recent disaster.  
They're not ready for this!"  
"They're stronger than you think, Will. With Prime Minister  
Phillips' good leadership and a little help from us, they'll prevail.  
If the tremors continue and it appears the planet has become unstable.  
we'll find someplace else for them to go. They will carry on Will.  
You must hang on to that thought and do your job to the best of  
your ability."  
Knowing more was said than the words she spoke, a grateful Will  
looked at his beautiful Counsellor.  
"What would I do without you?"  
"Persevere."  
On the planet Data and his team had made their way to the entrances  
to the underground wells. Proffering his tricorder, Data frowned  
at the results.  
"We are not close enough for a clear scan. We must enter  
the wells."  
The entrance was nondescript, giving no hint as to what lay within.  
In the space of a few minutes the team found themselves at the  
head of a spiral staircase and began their descent.  
They had travelled down two levels when Data brought his team  
to a halt. Standing perfectly still, Data indicated silence. Tilting  
his head from side to side in a curiously cat like gesture, Data  
suddenly broke into a run.  
"Sir! What's wrong?"  
"I can hear someone in distress!."  
With his team at his heels, Data flew down a further three flights  
of stairs, coming to an abrupt halt that almost caused quite a  
collision with his team.  
Sorting themselves out they found Data talking earnestly with  
a bruised and bloodied human.  
"Ensign Tark. Please render medical assistance to Prime Minister  
Phillips."  
"There's no time! We've got to get...."  
An ominous rumble cut short the Prime Minister's words. Data kept  
his footing as the people around him fell to their knees. Small  
chunks of material fell from the roof and with an earsplitting  
crack, a rift opened up, rapidly crossing the floor and bisecting  
the stairs. There followed an eerie silence.  
"Is everyone all right?"  
Dusting themselves off, each person checked another until they  
were sure all were well.  
"As I was saying....we don't have time to waste. There is  
one of your teams trapped in here and two colonists who went to  
render aid."  
"Prime Minister, I thank you for your assistance, but I would  
prefer it if you returned to the surface with Ensign Tark."  
They stood for a moment, neither giving ground until Data recognised  
the determination etched on the Prime Minister's face and knew  
she would not back down.  
"Very well. We will continue our search."  
The group had only descended a further three levels when they  
came to a fresh fall of rocks. The remains of the two colonists  
could be seen amongst the rubble. They were obviously dead.  
Out of habit, Data consulted his useless tricorder. The action  
made him smile.....such a "human" thing to do. Turning  
to the group he said,  
"We will dig in teams. Each of you will dig with me for one  
hour. Lieutenant Fullarton, you will start. Ensign Tark, please  
see to the Prime Minister's injuries now."  
As Data and the Lieutenant began the digging, Ensigns Tark and  
Ellis helped Julie to sit and gently began to treat her wounds.  
"My tricorder's useless but I can tell you've broken your  
left arm and collar bone and there's a nasty cut and abrasion  
on your head."  
"Nothing serious then..."  
The ensigns noted the grim smile and gave their own smiles in  
return.  
"What happened Ma'am?"  
"I was keeping tabs on everyone's movements....you know,  
the evac was going so well....all the groups had reported to their  
stations and I was making my to the Northern safe ground when  
I was informed your water team was missing. I know how troublesome  
these wells can be with communicators and I surmised the crew  
hadn't been contacted about the impending tremors so I sort of  
took a detour with two volunteers and was on my way down when  
the first quake hit. I'm ashamed to say I obtained my injuries  
doing nothing more spectacular than falling down some stairs."  
"Well we're glad that's all you did Ma'am."  
They were all startled when Lieutenant Fullarton shouted,  
"Sir! Here....I can get through."  
"I will go Lieutenant. In my absence you will be the ranking  
officer. If I do not return make sure you get your people back  
safely."  
"Aye Sir."  
Using his powerful body, Data wriggled through the small opening  
to find himself in a black, dusty space. Switching to night vision  
he swept the surrounding area only to find an inert Bolian body,  
partially buried by rubble. He carefully made his way to the crewman  
to find, sadly, that he was dead. Data scanned the far rockfall  
with his enhanced eyes and noted where to start his excavations.  
It took mere minutes for him to make a small fissure appear and  
was rewarded with weak cries from inside. As he enlarged the rift  
Data was careful to encourage the victims and it wasn't long before  
he was with them.  
Incredibly the three survivors were injured but ambulatory and  
were united with the rest of the party very quickly. Data retrieved  
the body of the fallen crewman and together they all walked gingerly  
up until they found their passage blocked by more rockfalls.  
"We are very close to the surface.I believe the pattern enhancers  
will be sufficient to achieve beam out. We should deploy them  
at these points."  
Having indicated their optimum positions Data activated his communicator.  
"Enterprise....Do you read?"  
"We have you Commander, a little scratchy, but readable."  
"Very well. Six to beam directly to sick bay. Energise."  
Within a few minutes of their safe arrival, Will Riker walked  
briskly into sickbay.  
"Mr. Data. Report."  
"We retrieved the water purification team Sir, unfortunately,  
Ensign Tam was killed, as were two colonists. During our search  
we came across Prime Minister Phillips. She had been trying to  
warn the team and was injured in the subsequent tremors. Dr. Selar  
is treating her now. I can report her injuries are not serious  
and her life signs are strong. I have put the body of Ensign Tarn  
in the morgue."  
At this news Will stiffened but said nothing. He let his eyes  
wander over sickbay taking in the well practised activities.  
"Well done Mr. Data. Exemplary as usual."  
After Data had left Will hovered near the treatment room until  
he was called back to the bridge. Catching Alissa Ogawa's eye  
he asked to be informed when the Prime Minister was out of surgery  
then left, his mind already on a hundred other things.

 

 

 

Jean-Luc Picard was having the time of his life. Beverly  
had finally relinquished the wheel and not only was he experiencing  
the sheer joy of sailing a beautiful craft, he was also treated  
to the sight of Beverly up on the bow, wedged in the pulpit, her  
head thrown back and that stunning mane of fire streaming in the  
wind. With every rise as the yacht lifted to the seas Beverly  
would grip the forestay and swing. Picard was entranced. He felt  
his heart singing.  
Every now and then a slightly harder gust would hit the boat and  
she would heel a little more. At first Jean-Luc didn't notice  
it but when a particularly hard gust pushed the yacht over alarmingly  
Jean-Luc decided it was time to call Beverly back to the cockpit.  
As she made her way aft she looked over the stern and Jean-Luc  
saw a frown on her beautiful face.  
"What's wrong?"  
In answer, Beverly pointed over his shoulder. Turning, Jean-Luc  
felt his own frown form.  
"Where did that come from?"  
"I haven't a clue."  
A feeling of unease decended upon them.  
"Did you listen to the forecast this morning?"  
"No....we were "busy"...remember?"  
"Ah...yes. That looks like a storm and a big one at that."  
Beverly looked steadily at Jean-Luc.  
"Should we call for assistance?"  
"Beverly, this is an ocean going vessel. I'm sure a little  
wind and rain won't bother us. However....we should shorten sail."  
"Shorten sail....? Your not making this up are you?"  
"No. When the wind freshens a smaller sail area must be presented  
to the wind, otherwise the boat could become unmanageable or she  
could be dismasted."  
"That's not good is it?"  
"Emphatically no."  
Determined to be of help, Beverly said,  
"Ok. What do we do?"  
Jean-Luc felt an upwelling of pride and love for his courageous  
companion.  
"You take the wheel and I will change the jib first then  
the mainsail. Be careful though. There is increased pressure on  
the rudder, making her harder to steer."  
After changing positions Jean-Luc went to the forward section  
to retrieve a smaller jib. Unfortunately the sails had been bagged  
without their ID tags showing so it took Jean-Luc much longer  
than expected. Rising through the forehatch, Picard was dismayed  
to discover the wind was blowing harder and the malevolent clouds  
were almost over them. Struggling with the sailbag, Jean-Luc finally  
made it to the forestay and began to attach the new sail. Whilst  
unravelling the jib the yacht slammed into a wave knocking Picard  
of his feet. He tried valiantly but couldn't save the sail bag  
from going over the side. Grasping the hand rail he made it to  
the mast and lowered the halyard, thus dropping the first jib.  
He then transferred the ropes from the old sail to the new, returned  
to the mast and with the help of a winch, raised the new sail.  
He felt well satisfied as it had been a very hard task, with waves  
coming over the boat and being all but a novice, though he knew  
his work was incomplete.  
The next thing to do was to get the redundant jib below out of  
the way. To that end he stuffed it down the forehatch. Now he  
was ready to tackle the main. Walking on the high side of the  
heaving deck he studied the situation and having made up his mind  
said to Beverly,  
"You will have to come up into the wind to release the pressure  
on the sail."  
They were having to yell at each other now, such was the force  
of the wind, waves and rain, which had started to pelt down.  
Struggling, Beverly hauled on the wheel bringing the bow of the  
yacht closer to the eye of the wind. By now the mainsail boom  
was jerking and flapping about viciously. Unable to undo the shackle,  
Jean-Luc was about to go below for a tool when the boat suddenly  
lurched and the mainsail boom whipped across the cockpit with  
dreadful strength hitting the side of Jean-Luc's head, the sickening  
dull thud heard even over the cacophony of sound already assailing  
their senses and flinging him onto the top of the life rail. Like  
a lifeless doll he went limply overboard, his body catching on  
a broken metal splice and ripping his skin and muscle open from  
shoulder to hip. All this took only seconds.  
Beverly opened her mouth to scream but the wind tore it away.  
Letting go of the wheel she watched, as if in slow motion, Jean-Luc's  
body roll onto his back, catching at the last second, a rope that  
tangled around his ankle.  
The yacht was now out of control. With far too much sail up the  
boat was at the mercy of the elements. Beverly searched frantically  
for the rope that held Jean-Luc. So intense was her concentration  
she never saw the huge wave that hit the Nimrod broadside and  
rolled her over like a toy. Beverly was thrown head first into  
the heaving seas. The majestic yacht hesitated only briefly upside  
down then continued to complete the roll.  
Dazed and confused, Beverly had no idea what had happened. She  
was choking and vomiting at the same time....at that point in  
time she honestly thought she was about to die. Treading water  
in the maelstrom she caught a glimpse of the now wrecked yacht  
and miraculously, Jean-Luc.  
*Oh help me....help him...Let him be alive.*  
It was extremely difficult to reach the boat. For each metre she  
made she thought she went back two yet she wouldn't give up and  
her efforts were rewarded when she reached the derelict yacht.  
In a panic she looked for Jean-Luc and when she couldn't find  
him she nearly gave up but as she rounded the stern she saw him  
floating on the side away from the wind. She was aghast.  
*Oh please....be alive. Please, please.*  
Using the same rope that saved him from being irretrievably swept  
away, she reached him and immediately checked his carotid artery  
for a pulse. Despair welled in her heart when she couldn't feel  
anything but she calmed herself and tried again. Beverly cried  
out loud when her cold fingers detected a weak throb of life.  
*Now what?*  
Beverly looked dubiously at what was left of the once beautiful  
yacht. The mast had been torn off and there was a deadly tangle  
of wire, rope and ruined sails. However Beverly knew the yacht  
was their only chance of survival. Supporting Jean-Luc's inert  
body to the stern, Beverly discovered the cut away transom allowed  
fairly easy access. Heaving first herself and then with significant  
difficulty lifting Picard she manoeuvered him on board. She sat  
for a moment regaining her strength then started clearing a space  
on the cockpit lockers and having done that, lifted Jean-Luc onto  
the locker tops. Finally she was able to examine him.  
Already a bloody stream was emanating from him. He was deeply  
unconscious and when Beverly gently turned his head she gasped.  
A dreadful split ran from his right eyebrow to the back of his  
head, the top of his ear smashed beyond recognition. She then  
opened the short sleeved linen shirt only to be further shocked  
by the ghastly laceration that ran the length of his torso, exposing  
muscle and bone and bleeding heavily. Beverly looked about her  
desperately, trying to find something....anything to bind the  
wounds and stop the bleeding. Grabbing a tatter of sail, she rolled  
it into a sausage and placed it over the tear and rolled Jean-Luc  
gently on to it to keep it in place. Another piece of sail was  
wound around his head. A stop-gap measure at best, but it would  
have to do until she could find something better.  
What she saw was chaos. She didn't even have a shelter to keep  
the pouring rain off.  
It was then that she remembered the first aid kit below. Crouching  
on her knees she peered under the wreckage to the hatchway. The  
water in the yacht was inky black and Beverly knew she risked  
possible death to go in there.  
*Think Beverly......What would he do?*  
*The rubber dinghy!*  
Beverly was loathe to leave Jean-Luc and she hesitated before  
she moved yet she knew without help he could die. So, taking great  
care on the sluggishly rolling boat she made her way to the forward  
hatch. It had been blown open during the roll and Beverly knew  
that a sail had been stuffed down the hatch but she was saddened  
to find a complete mess. More filthy black water with unidentifiable  
objects floating around. Beverly knew that she could stand with  
her head just poking out of the hatch and with that in mind she  
slipped feet first into the mess. She shifted her feet around  
until she found what felt like the rubber dinghy. Taking a deep  
breath, she ducked under and grasped the object and brought it  
to the surface. Her joy at achieving her goal was immediately  
soured by a broken bulkhead timber had speared straight through  
the dinghy and a sinister slash rendering it useless as a rescue  
boat. Nevertheless, undaunted, she took her prize back to the  
cockpit. By all means a very dangerous exercise. After checking  
Picard and satisfying herself she could leave him a few minutes  
longer she cleared a space for the dinghy and pulled the inflation  
cord. The effect was instant, if a little disappointing. With  
a sharp pop the dingy reached a state of semi inflation only to  
subside as the air escaped from the tears. It meant little to  
Crusher. When it seemed the process had finished she was able  
to force her hand in far enough to feel for, then grasp the med  
kit she knew was there.  
As soon as she opened the kit She set about cleaning and dressing  
the wounds. There was no protoplaster to close the tears and the  
antibiotics had been ruined along with the hypospray, yet Beverly  
was happy to have the little she did have. Taking four ultra absorbent  
gel packs, she placed them along the length of the tear running  
the length of Jean-Luc's torso, forming a protective barrier,  
then secured them with strips of dressings. Moving to his head,  
she placed another gel pack on the wound, using the remnants of  
his shirt to make it fast. After making Jean-Luc as comfortable  
as possible, Beverly went back to the companion way to find the  
distress button. Something had smashed the cover and broken the  
red knob, but she pressed it anyway. Reaching again into the dinghy  
Beverly liberated a rain catcher which she split and used as a  
covering for them both and a multi-tool, comprising a laser and  
fid. By the time she finished it was almost dark and as she settled  
down to wait for help she wondered if they were going to make  
it.  
It was a gentle bumping that woke her. At first she couldn't understand  
where she was, gazing about dazedly, then the memories flooded  
back causing her to gasp. Her eyes fell on Jean-Luc and she noted  
his head move with every bump she felt. She then realised the  
list on the boat. It seemed to be tilted over, the side rhythmically  
touching the sea floor.  
*That can't be right....*  
She cast the thought aside and turned all of her attention to  
Jean-Luc. Sometime during the dreadful night his bleeding had  
stopped from both the head and torso wounds. Though still unconscious,  
of more concern was his rising temperature. Beverly carefully  
tore a strip from Jean-Luc's shirt and soaking it in sea water,  
used it to bathe Picard's face. Looking around for the first time,  
Beverly discovered that, during the night, the yacht had been  
driven over the outer reef and onto the beach of a small island  
cove. She scoured the horizon, then the island, seeing nothing.  
No sails, no aircraft, no smoke....nothing. It was as if they  
were the only people on the planet.

 

 

 

Prime Minister Phillips lay quietly listening as Dr. Selar  
gave her prognosis. The vulcan was unmoved at Julie's protest  
when told to rest for the next twenty four hours on board the  
Enterprise.  
"I can't do that Doctor. You don't honestly expect me to  
lounge around on this ship while my colony is in a crisis?"  
"I expect you to follow my instructions Ma'am. Every effort  
has already been instigated to ensure the safety of the populace  
below. Your responsibility is to present yourself in optimum condition  
in order to function at you best."  
With growing irritation, Julie pugnaciously stood closer to the  
Vulcan.  
"Are you ordering me to stay?"  
"I am not in a position to do that Ma'am, however, I will  
be informing Commander Riker of my recommendations and your refusal  
to abide by them."  
"Fair enough."  
As she stalked out of sickbay, Julie heard Selar contacting Will.  
Following the computer's direction to the transporter room, Julie  
found a surprisingly subdued Will at the doors. She knew instinctively  
something was wrong.  
"What is it?"  
Will looked intently into her eyes and taking her by the shoulders  
said,  
"Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher have been reported missing.  
We have to leave immediately to aid in the search. Julie....This  
isn't the time or the place, I know you've been ordered to rest  
and I also know you won't. Please, just take care of yourself.  
I have left mission specialists with equipment and supplies and  
also two shuttles. Once the engineers find a stable area, set  
up and wait for our return You will have replicators and all you  
will need."  
They embraced then and for a few sweet moments sought comfort  
in each other's arms. A quick kiss and she was gone. Will knew  
she would have the colony well set up when he returned. Taking  
a big breath, Will put aside his thoughts of Julie and set his  
mind to the search for his two dear friends.  
A flash of blue was the only sign as the mighty ship jumped to  
warp eight in a race to save her master.

 

 

 

It had been about an hour and Beverly knew she had to get  
them both ashore. The question was....How? She sat and thought  
a while, looking at the things that surrounded her and soon a  
plan formed. Leaving her patient, she found a piece of torn sail  
and fitted it into the cockpit. Then, very gently, she lowered  
Jean-Luc's loose body onto the sail remnant. His head was to the  
bow, his feet facing the stern. Knowing, as the boat was aground,  
that she could stand with her head and shoulders out of the water,  
Beverly let herself over the edge. The water was warm and pleasant,  
although she didn't notice it, and when she pulled on the sail  
hem, it slipped easily over the cockpit floor despite Picard's  
weight. There was only a drop of 10cms to the water, but it was  
somewhat difficult as the yacht was heeling so much. By taking  
her time and adjusting the Captain's body frequently she finally  
managed to float him free and made her way to the shore. Thankfully  
there was no surf to contend with and when her burden touched  
the sand, she had to bend and drag him as gently as possible up  
the short beach and into the bush which grew thickly to the high  
tide mark. Settling Jean-Luc and again checking his temperature  
with her hand, she left him to make the first of many trips back  
to the yacht to retrieve everthing she thought could be useful.  
As the tide receded the damage to the craft became more evident.  
The broken mast had punched a hole in the hull and was wedged  
there like a drunken arrow. A deadly web of metal rigging, ropes,  
sail and flotsam littered the area around Nimrod and Beverly felt  
a pang of sorrow at the destruction of something so beautiful.  
By the time she was finished, she was exhausted but satisfied.  
Around her was a pile of things with which to make shelter, collect  
water....almost everything except what she needed to treat Jean-Luc  
properly. During her work she tended to him often but still he  
hovered in unconsciousness. Beverly was deeply concerned, but  
could do nothing but keep him as cool as possible.  
On one of her forays to the boat she noticed the water level had  
dropped a little inside and she decided to try and find the med  
kit. With the yacht lying on it's side, Beverly knew it would  
be very dangerous as everthing not tied down had been thrown about  
when the boat rolled. Gingerly placing her feet one after the  
other, she entered the black foul smelling water. She tried to  
do what she had in the fo'c's'le, but the area was too great.  
She was, in effect, walking on the galley area and had just realised  
that when she suddenly stepped into the port bunk recess.  
The water immediately closed over her head and as she twisted,  
trying to regain the higher ground, her ankle became jammed. Panic  
seized her and she froze in terror for some slow seconds then  
burst into sudden motion trying to free her foot. She felt the  
skin above her ankle being cut and just as she thought she would  
surely drown, her foot came free and she was able to grab the  
bulkhead support and step onto the gimballed oven, her head breaking  
free of the filthy water. Gasping and pulling her hair from her  
face she decided not to try again under those circumstances. She  
knew the tide might drive the boat further onto the beach and  
if that happened she could bail out the water. She couldn't salvage  
the craft, but she could salvage it's contents. All she needed  
was a little luck.  
It had been some hours and Beverly had been dozing when an odd  
gurgling sound woke her. Jean-Luc's body was rigid and trembling  
violently and he seemed to be choking. Quickly rolling him onto  
his uninjured side, Beverly began to clear his mouth when he suddenly  
snapped his jaws, closing on her fingers and his tongue. Blood  
spurted from his mouth and Beverly screamed in pain and almost  
fainted when she felt the bones of her fingers break. Yet still  
Jean-Luc's jaw spasmed. Abruptly his head snapped back and his  
mouth opened and the convulsion slowly passed. Smelling the acrid  
scent of urine, Beverly knew Jean-Luc had released his bladder.  
She checked him as best she could, finding the pupil of his right  
eye dilated. Frantically she grabbed the laser and, using the  
narrowest beam, opened a small hole in Jean-Luc's skull, exposing  
a blood clot. Once the pressure was released, his pupil became  
reactive and Beverly sighed in relief. She then made her way to  
the shore to wash the mangled fingers. As she entered the water,  
a stinging from her ankle reminded her of her previous close call  
and for the first time, she gave in to tears. Crouched in the  
water, her hand a mass of pain, she watched as the teardrops fell  
and mingled with the sea.  
When she had regained herself she made her way to her treasure  
trove and found the cockpit bucket. She took it to the sea, filled  
it and took it back to wash Picard. He was calm again, although  
Beverly thought his pulse was a little weaker. At least his temperature  
was stable.....too high....but stable.  
After her ministrations she found a sharp shell, (wanting to conserve  
the power cell of the laser), and used it to cut some thin strips  
of sail cloth. Together with some slivers of a woody material,  
she splinted her damaged fingers. They throbbed abominably and  
she knew infection was likely but she treated them nonetheless.  
She was becoming thirsty and using the trick Jean-Luc had taught  
her, she was lucky to find a small creek flowing a short distance  
away and with the bucket, took a quantity of fresh water back  
to the Captain. Again using a suitable shell, she carefully opened  
Jean-Luc's mouth and washed away the blood and then managed to  
get him to drink a little. She was intently cleaning the appalling  
wound on his torso when his hand gently closed on her arm. Beverly  
couldn't hold back a gasp of fright. She looked down at Jean-Luc  
to see his eyes open, although they were mere slits. The swelling  
and bruising had spread to the side of his face giving his face  
a grotesque look.  
"Hello there. Glad you finally decided to join me."  
His first efforts to speak were ineffectual but after Beverly  
gave him some more water, he managed an audible croak.  
"Who hit me?"  
"Not "who"...."what". You were trying  
to shorten sail and the boom hit you."  
"Why?"  
"Why?....Oh, there was a storm. After you were hit you went  
overboard then the yacht got knocked down. In fact, she went right  
over, a full 360 degree turn. I was thrown clear and you were  
caught in some ropes."  
"The yacht?"  
"Wrecked, but she did make it to here, wherever here is.  
She's over there, in the shallows. I've found fresh water and  
I think these fruit are edible."  
"My tongue?"  
"You bit it during a convulsion."  
"Other injuries?"  
"You've got a bad whack to the head, certainly a fractured  
skull, a gash running from your shoulder to your hip on your right  
side, your right eyebrow is split...in fact the split goes all  
the way to the back of your head, the top of your right ear is  
err....damaged, and there are some broken ribs.....oh, and I think  
your left arm is broken but I don't have a clue as to how you  
did that."  
"And you?"  
"I'm fine. A sore ankle and some bent fingers. I had more  
trouble with the belly full of sea water I had. Yuck!"  
"Rescue?"  
I don't know. I pressed the transponder, somehow I don't think  
it's working. We have four days till we were due back, so presumably,  
we may have to make do till they realise we're missing."  
Beverly gently stroked Jean-Luc's head.  
"If we....not sighted....look for us."  
"What?"  
"Stay in sight.... Island beacons."  
Beverly thought about this for a while. She didn't want to tax  
Jean-Luc and she knew he was trying to tell her something important.  
"Do all the islands have a beacon?"  
"Yes."  
"And as we passed beacons, our progress was noted?"  
"Yes."  
Beverly ran her uninjured hand through her hair, trying to gather  
her thoughts.  
"So when we didn't pass an island for a day and a night,  
they would know something was wrong."  
"Yes."  
"Ok, we have island beacons, what does the yacht have....where  
is it?"  
"Old fash....radar.....masthead."  
"The masthead? You mean the top bit of the mast? I think  
that's the bit that's sticking out of the hull. Is it a working  
thing...does it matter if it's wet?"  
"No...no work parts....coded reflector."  
"So when the beacon picks up the signal, it's coded and they  
know who it is.?  
"Yes."  
Casting a speculative look at the beached yacht she said,  
"Jean-Luc, it will be dark in a few hours and I want to build  
us a shelter for the night. I'll try and get the reflector tomorrow  
morning, first thing."  
"Kay....."  
As she watched he slipped into a fitful sleep so Beverly took  
her chance and set about building a shelter from the sails, fronds  
from the local plants and thick grasses that abounded. Hampered  
by her injured hand, it took some time to build a shelter she  
felt was sufficient, but she prevailed and was satisfied with  
the final outcome. Next she collected some tempting looking fruit  
and some more water. With sundown the temperature dropped markedly  
so Beverly drew a sail over both of them and snuggled as close  
as she dared to Jean-Luc, not wanting to increase his already  
high fever and finally fell into a troubled sleep of her own.  
Her last coherent thought was that it would be a long night.

 

 

 

The Enterprise entered orbit of Gerallum in record time  
and Will had beamed down to the Tour Director's office within  
minutes of arriving.  
"I am Director Essum. Your message reached us last night,  
please, come into the chart room."  
Looking down at the charts spread before him, Will said,  
"Do you know where they are?"  
"Let me put it this way.....We know where they're not."  
"Director Essum......"  
"Bear with me Commander. The day they went missing, we had  
a force 11 gale. That's cyclone strength. They were noted here,  
on Xi3 and were expected to pass Ja2 next day. They didn't and  
they didn't stay at Xi3. They either decided to sail across open  
sea to a distant island group or something cataclysmic happened  
to the yacht. Either way, we can't find them."  
Placing his hands on the chart table he said with exasperation,  
"Could the yacht weather the storm?"  
"Yes.....if handled correctly. The thing is Commander, we  
like our guests to learn as they go, at their own pace. They are  
advised most strongly to stay in sight of the islands at all time,  
that way they are within easy distance of help or shelter if anything  
occurs. If your people chose to ignore that advice, then they  
did so at their own peril."  
"I understand Director, but do you have any idea where they  
are?"  
"We recovered some wreckage we believe is from the Nimrod,  
but with the storm....it's a big ocean Commander."  
"What can we do to help?"  
"Is your vessel capable of picking up radar signals?"  
Will staightened and thoughtfully stroked his beard.  
"Radar?.....I....I'll have to check."  
Slapping his communicator, Will barked...  
"Riker to Enterprise!"  
"Data here Sir."  
"Mr. Data, can the Enterprise pick up radar signals?"  
".........Yes Sir. It will take some adjustments."  
"Make them. Riker out."  
Turning back to the director, Will said,  
"Anything else?"  
"I'll let you know. You're welcome to stay."  
"Thank you."

 

 

Slatted sunlight flickered across Beverly's face. She made  
the mistake of stretching and immediately regretted it. She ached  
all over and the heat and throbbing in her hand signalled the  
expected infection. She sat up slowly, the throbbing in her head  
matching the throbbing in her hand. Checking Jean-Luc she was  
frightened to find his breathing distressed and his pulse further  
weakened. His fever caused a tremor to course through his ravaged  
body and the bandages were caked with serum and pus. As quickly  
as she could, Beverly fetched some clean water and carefully stripped  
the soiled bandages from Jean-Luc's wounds. Better able to inspect  
the wound, she was dismayed to see a dark puncture in the deeper  
part of the laceration. There was no way to determine how deep  
it went, all she could do was hope his internal organs were undamaged.  
Disgusted and worried by what she found, she couldn't help the  
tear that escaped and trickled down her face.  
"Don't cry lovely..."  
"Jean-Luc! Did I wake you?.....I'm sorry if it hurts. I must  
clean these wounds....there's infection..."  
"S'ok.... Can't feel hand..."  
"What? Which hand?"  
"Left...."  
Knowing the arm was most likely broken, Beverly gently touched  
his left hand. Finding it cold she felt up the arm for a pulse  
and found one near the elbow. Feeling back down the arm, Jean-Luc  
groaned through clenched teeth when she found the break.  
"Jean-Luc the break in your arm has impeded the blood flow.  
I'm going to have to straighten it and splint it......Jean-Luc....it  
will hurt....a lot."  
All he could do was nod in return. Beverly gathered the things  
she needed and again took the injured arm in her hands.  
"I'll be as quick as I can."  
With that she placed his elbow between her feet and took hold  
of his hand. As she pulled hard Jean-Luc screamed and started  
to retch bringing up little but bile.  
Quickly she splinted the arm, winding strips of sail cloth around  
it until she was satisfied it was done properly.  
Picard was panting and trembling, a gentle whimper escaping his  
dry lips.  
Wiping his face with a wet cloth, she gently said,  
"It's over Jean-Luc. Rest now."  
Within a few minutes the Captain had drifted off to sleep, occasionally  
groaning in his pain.  
Beverly knew she was running out of time. Her hand would soon  
make her sick and she would then be unable to look after Jean-Luc.  
The trepan of his skull and the suspected internal injuries, along  
with everything else made survival more and more remote for Jean-Luc.  
Her only hope was the reflector and to that end she waded out  
again to the yacht.  
The mast had perforated the hull on the side that was "up"  
and although that was good, it posed a problem. Beverly couldn't  
reach it without climbing out on the mast. The boat had settled  
further into the sand so she felt sure she could make her way  
to the mast end without tipping the boat, but she only had one  
fully functional hand. It would be difficult to say the least  
however there was no other choice but to start. Getting on board  
was easy as was getting to the hull puncture. Stepping onto, then  
sitting astride the mast was quite another thing. The rigging  
was festooned all around and more than once she snagged her legs  
on shards of broken metal as she swung her legs backward and forwards.  
Negotiating the top spreaders was difficult but she persevered  
and finally reached the mast head. That was when she realised  
she had nothing to prise the masthead fitting off. She sat there,  
3 metres up in the air, her legs bleeding, her broken fingers  
and her head throbbing utterly defeated. It was a tinny clanking  
that eventually broke through her daze. Looking listlessly down  
she saw an odd shaped piece of shining metal. She stilled it with  
her good hand and peered closely at it. ARD was stamped into the  
metal along with some smaller print. Laying along the mast, Beverly  
brought her face closer and read....

 

Activated  
Radar  
Deflector  
She read it again, then again before letting out a whoop. Of course!  
It wouldn't be inside the mast. It had to be outside to work!  
And...Blessedly, it was attached with a simple shackle. She had  
to use her teeth, breaking one, but she retrieved her prize and  
held it aloft yelling with delight.  
When she got back to Jean-Luc she dropped to her knees in fright.  
He was lying so still, so pale she thought he had died. It wasn't  
till she felt his weak pulse, (twice for certain), that she knew  
he still lived. Taking the damp cloth she wiped his face calling  
his name gently.  
"Jean-Luc.....Jean-Luc, come on my love, wake up...."  
He groaned softly and raised his good hand but didn't open his  
eyes.  
"Jean-Luc....I've got the radar deflector....Do you remember?  
We talked about the island beacons. I went to the yacht and got  
the deflector."  
Slowly, painfully, Jean-Luc nodded his head.  
"What do I have to do? Do I have to climb to the beacon on  
this island?"  
"No.....off the ground......a tree....up as high as...."  
He tried to open his eyes and failed. Taking her hand in his he  
lifted it up as high as he could.  
"Ok, I understand. Get the deflector up the tallest tree  
I can find. Does it matter if the deflector is sort of ....well...bent?"  
"No....I don't know....how bad?"  
"It's got four blades. Two of them are bent and I can't straighten  
them. I tried."  
"No matter. Still have to...."  
"I know. Climb. I'll give you a drink and some of the fruit.  
It's all right, I had some last night, then I'll go and find the  
tallest damn tree on this flyspeck island!"  
Using her trusty shell she peeled and thinly sliced three varieties  
of fruit and slowly fed them to Jean-Luc. Even eating caused considerable  
pain as his lacerated tongue came in contact with the acidic fruit.  
Water followed and Beverly felt a little better about him when  
she left, having finally gotten him to eat.  
Walking down to the beach she swept her eyes left and right looking  
over the tree line. Settling on two likely specimens, she set  
off into the undergrowth. Barefoot and clad only in shorts and  
a sleeveless top, she couldn't help but graze and scratch her  
way through the bush. At last she reached the first of the two  
trees and looking up knew she was defeated. There were no branches  
within reach and with her damaged hand, she couldn't even consider  
shinnying up. That left the other tree somewhere to her left.  
Eventually she found the tree by literally walking into it. Standing  
back and rubbing her head, she was delighted to see two branches  
which had recently come adrift, probably during the storm, and  
were hanging down, still connected to the trunk. Without hesitation,  
using both feet and her good hand, the deflector in her teeth,  
she clambered up the ancient tree until she could go no further.  
For a while she just stared as she caught her breath. All around  
the sapphire sea, dotted to her right by a series of islands,  
small and large. Before securing the deflector to the topmost  
branches she held it aloft in her hand saying a prayer of deliverance  
to any God who happened to be listening and then carefully made  
her descent.  
As she approached their shelter, she knew immediately what had  
happened. She could smell it. Running the last few steps she fell  
to her knees and held Jean-Luc's head as he vomited wretchedly.  
Amongst the remains of the fruit and water was a quantity of blood  
and Crusher didn't know if it was from his tongue or from some  
undiagnosed internal injury, it mattered little. They needed help.....and  
soon.

 

The crew of the Enterprise had been on tenterhooks for the  
past few hours. The level of tension was excruciating and all  
on board wanted to help in finding their missing officers. Will  
had finally managed to stop asking Data for a report every five  
minutes but found it impossible to sit still. Seeing his discomfort,  
Deanna leaned over and said,  
"Patience Will. We know they're there. We will find them."  
"Can you sense anything Deanna, anything at all?"  
"As I told you before, I can't. I don't know why....I've  
sent an enquiry to Betazed about Gerallum via subspace. I've heard  
nothing yet."  
"I'm sorry Deanna. It's just that I feel so damned useless!  
Here we are sitting in the flagship of the Federation, the cutting  
edge of technology available to us and we can't find two people  
on a yacht that would fit in our smallest shuttlebay. It's ridiculous!"  
"Will, you know...."  
"Commander! A radar signal of the correct configuration has  
just been detected. Coordinates coming in......we've got them!"  
"Beam them directly to sickbay! I'm not taking any chances.  
Mr. Data, Inform Director Essum and advise him of our success  
and relay the coordinates for possible salvage. I'll be in sick  
bay. Deanna, you have the bridge."  
As Will left the bridge Deanna went to Data and squeezed his shoulder.  
"Well done Data. If I were lost I wouldn't want anyone but  
you to be the one searching for me."  
"Thank you Counsellor, that is most gratifying. May I tell  
you that the signal was extremely weak and somewhat garbled? I  
had invaluable help from Lieutenant Simon Fullarton in clearing  
the signal and identifying it."  
Deanna looked kindly down at her friend.  
"I'll let Commander Riker know. You have the bridge Data,  
I'll be in sickbay."

 

 

Deanna entered sickbay and stood stock still. A hive of activity  
at the best of times, the level of tension was almost unbearable  
for the empath. Closing her eyes and erecting the mental barriers,  
she walked to Will and stood by his shoulder.  
"How are they Will?"  
"Not Good. God Deanna, the Captain......if he were to die.....I  
don't......"  
Standing in front of him, Deanna looked up into his troubled face.  
"Will we have them and we have the best medical facility  
available. We can't do better than that. And you know what Will  
Riker? They have each other. Somehow it will be enough.....I feel  
it."  
Will took Deanna in his arms.  
"Yes, they do. And I have you, dear friend."  
"Always."  
Beverly at first refused flatly any attempt to see to her injuries,  
preferring to direct the attention to Picard, but fatigue and  
the infection in her hand finally drove her to seek aid. It was  
an uncomfortable two hours for her as the mangled fingers were  
cleaned, set and closed, the infection treated and the myriad  
of cuts, scrapes, abrasions and the tears on her legs caused by  
the mast were each treated and healed.  
Still running on adrenalin, Beverly quietly entered the surgery  
suite and watched as the staff fought their battle for the Captain's  
life.  
In the two hours she had been away his broken arm was treated,  
the huge laceration and the broken ribs healed and the rampant  
infection brought under control. As she stood quietly two independent  
teams worked on him. One team were intently studying a readout  
of his brain activity as they struggled to repair the dreadful  
damage to his head, the other team were trying to find the source  
of haemorrhaging in his stomach. Obviously the puncture had done  
considerable damage. Beverly listened as the Doctors spoke quietly  
amongst themselves...  
"The splenic rupture has been sealed, as is the abdominal  
tear. I can't see.....what's the monitor got to say?"  
"It says the liver's...."  
"Pressure's falling! He's going into cardiac arrest! Synaptic  
failure imminent! Isocorticle stimulators!"  
Beverly closed her eyes trying to close out the urgent voices....  
"Clear!....Again, up to eight. Clear!.....Again, ten this  
time. Clear!.....We've got a pulse! Stabilise!"  
Feeling strong hands on her shoulders, Beverly turned to see the  
gentle face of Will Riker. Saying nothing he took her in his arms,  
lifted her and carried her from the room. She didn't protest,  
she didn't complain and when he laid her on a med bed she just  
lay quietly staring at the roof.  
"Deanna?"  
"She's in shock Will. You go, I'll stay with her."  
Will left them and went to stand at the door of the operating  
suite. He could do nothing, but he could still be near his Captain,  
he would stand there as long as it took.  
It was many hours later when the weary medical staff finally felt  
they had stabilised the Captain enough to feel some optimism for  
the first time. Dr. Selar went to Beverly and reported.  
"We have managed to repair all but a portion of cranium.  
It was so badly shattered, we've had to place the area in stasis  
and apply a osteo regenerator. Captain Picard will remain sedated  
and in a static energy field for the next 24 hours. After that,  
depending on his progress, he may be woken. We will assess his  
condition then."  
" As for you Doctor Crusher, your condition is, at the moment,  
poor. You are relieved of duty until further notice and I recommend  
you report to your quarters and rest."  
Beverly gave Selar a particularly hard look, but it was all show.  
Truth be told, she was exhausted and wanted nothing more than  
a hot shower and something to eat. Her plan was to return when  
Selar went off duty. However.....  
"Counsellor Troi may I request you accompany Dr. Crusher  
to her quarters and see that she abides by my orders?"  
"My pleasure Doctor."  
Troi received the same sour look, but Beverly went quietly, exiting  
sickbay with as much dignity as she could muster. Deanna followed  
after a few moments and the journey to Beverly's cabin was taken  
in silence. As Crusher took her time having a shower, then a light  
meal, Deanna waited patiently and when Beverly approached her  
to suggest they return to sickbay, Deanna reached up and swiftly  
emptied the contents of a hypospray into Beverly's neck. Leading  
the subdued Crusher to her bed Deanna said as she tucked her in,  
"Dr. Selar says "Pleasant Dreams."  
Deanna was under no such orders and returned to sickbay to find  
Will dozing in a chair next to the captain. Quietly pulling up  
a chair, she joined him in his vigil.  
They were woken many hours later by a gentle shake to find Data  
and Geordie wanting to relieve them and were eventually persuaded  
to leave for their cabins.

 

 

Beverly awoke and, as habit dictated, stretched her lithe  
body and reached a questing hand to feel the warm body of her  
lover. Satisfied that he was there and warm she devoted some time  
to sorting out her day. Although well on the way to recovery,  
Picard still had some light therapy to undergo and some more osteo  
treatments to his head. The debilitating headaches were receding  
and , as Beverly reminded him almost daily, he realised just how  
lucky he had been.  
The Enterprise had stayed in orbit three days at Gerallum and  
assisted in the salvage of the Nimrod. Both Beverly and Jean-Luc  
were pleased their beautiful little ship was going to be repaired  
and apologies were made for their errant sailing behaviour.  
Jean-Luc was still on medical leave, although Beverly had badgered  
Selar until she was passed fit for duty. Beverly wanted to be  
on hand to oversee Jean-Luc's remaining treatments.  
She turned on her side, holding her head in her hand and studied  
her sleeping lover.  
The scars were fading rapidly and once the regenerator plate was  
removed from his head there would be little to indicate how close  
he had come to death. As she thought of this tears welled and,  
one at a time, slowly made their way down her beautiful face.  
"Don't cry lovely."  
"Oh, Jean-Luc...."  
He held her close willing all his love into her to ease her pain,  
they stayed like that for a long time, eventually falling to sleep.  
It was an enquiry from sickbay that woke them. The Captain was  
late for his appointment and was Dr. Crusher going to be on duty?  
Their showers and light breakfast were taken with the gentle banter  
of lovers and they were still chuckling when they arrived at sickbay.  
After the therapy was complete, Jean-Luc was delighted to be visited  
by his First Officer.  
"Number One! It's good to see you. How have you been treating  
my ship in my absence?"  
"With all the respect she deserves Captain."  
"I should think so. By the way, where are we going?"  
"Back to the Embo colony Sir. We left some crew and equipment  
there, I thought it would be nice to go and pick them up."  
"Yes, that would be a nice gesture. There's nothing worse  
than being assigned a ship, then have it desert you on some god  
forsaken planet in the middle of nowhere."  
The men both laughed.  
"We'll be there in three days Captain. I will introduce you  
to the Prime Minister there. A very remarkable woman."  
At this, Picard raised his eyebrows.  
"Remarkable eh? That's one meeting I'm looking forward to."  
Jean-Luc watched as Will left and turned a questioning eye to  
Beverly.  
"Yes, I think so. Deanna said they got quite "close"  
during the ship's stay."  
"Is Deanna all right with that?"  
"Apparently."  
Jean-Luc smiled knowingly.  
"Hmmmm, interesting."  
"Come on you old softy, let's go get some lunch and go fool  
about."  
"Fool about? Is that an officially sanctioned medical treatment?"  
"Absolutely!"  
Smiling lecherously and raising his eyebrows he sighed,  
"Oh, good."

 

The great starship cruised uneventfully to the Embo colony  
and settled into orbit at eight hundred hours. Will's hail was  
answered and he was overjoyed to see the smiling face of Julie  
greeting him and his ship.  
The tremors had gradually subsided, trailing off to nothingness.  
The colony had been relocated to a more stable area and the sequestered  
crew had done a marvellous job in setting up the beginnings of  
the new town. Will invited Julie to dine on board to catch up  
with both Jean-Luc and Beverly and she duly arrived at the appointed  
time looking beautiful as always.  
The dinner was held in the forward observation lounge and Picard  
was immediately intrigued by the relationship between the Prime  
Minister and his First Officer. That they were attracted to each  
other was obvious and both Beverly and Jean-Luc enjoyed the subtle  
flirting that went on. Once dinner was over the couples went their  
separate ways, Will and Julie ending up in Will's quarters. It  
wasn't long before they were in each other's arms and the love  
they made was joyful and deeply satisfying.  
They lay entwined for a long time, but it was Will who broke the  
spell.  
"We have to leave the day after tomorrow."  
"I know."  
"You won't come with me, will you." He stroked her side  
gently.  
"No. You know, it's weird. I fought tooth and nail against  
taking this position. I didn't want it....all I wanted to do was  
my work, my research. But now? I couldn't imagine doing anything  
else. And you know what? I'm damned good at it!"  
At that they both laughed.  
"I won't ask you to stay. I know what your job....this ship  
means to you, but I will tell Captain Picard what a gem he has  
in you."  
"Oh shucks.....Hey! We've still got tonight, all day tomorrow  
and the next night. What say we go for the record?"  
"What record?"  
"I'll show you...."

 

Two days later the Enterprise left orbit to begin a mapping  
survey of a distant star cluster. Jean-Luc was still off duty  
and it was a sombre, tired Riker who sat in the command chair.  
"Sir engineering report maintenance of the warp core is complete.  
We have warp power available."  
"Very well Mr. Data. Is the course laid in?"  
"Aye Sir."  
"Then proceed at warp five. Engage."  
The First Officer sat back and sighed dejectedly.  
"Will, do you want me to cover for you? You look worn out  
and I can tell you're unhappy."  
"It's all right Deanna. It's self inflicted, I'll survive."  
Deanna patted her friend's leg.  
"Well, if you want to talk..."  
"I know, thanks dear friend."

 

Several decks below, Jean-Luc had just completed his last  
osteo treatment. Therapy had also ceased and all he was waiting  
for was clearance to return to duty. And he was becoming a pest.  
"Beverly.......I'm fit! In fact you know just how fit I am...."  
"Jean-Luc! Keep your voice down! Do you want the entire sickbay  
to hear of your prowess?"  
Somewhat chagrined, Picard lowered his voice and his head.  
"Please Beverly, you know I'm all right. Give me back my  
ship....Please?"  
Beverly sighed.  
"Just how am I supposed to combat that? You must've been  
a dear little boy...Ok, I give up. One more lunch....in Ten Forward....then  
you can go back to the bridge."  
A very relieved Captain literally beamed.  
"Thank you."  
Later, in Ten Forward they were talking about what had happened  
and how lucky they were to get away with it.  
"If it wasn't for you my love, I would be dead."  
"I don't want to think about it. But you know what I missed?"  
Jean-Luc took Beverly's hands in his, gently stroking her wrists  
with his thumbs.  
"What."  
"Seeing the thermal lake. You gave your word if I remember  
correctly."  
Jean-Luc lowered his voice seductively  
"Want to go back for another try?"  
"Hmmmm, let me think.....NO! However.....you could take me  
to Cirrus V11. They have thermal lakes."  
Jean-Luc looked up sharply.  
"And everyone has to bathe nude."  
Beverly smiled innocently.  
"I know."  
"Beverly......!"

 

The End.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Safe Haven  
By Heather Smyth.

 

 


End file.
